


Everyone Has Secrets

by Rustyfish



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Depression, Dogs, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mute Frisk, Named Reader, POV Female Character, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, Sans Has Secrets, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, will update tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:19:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8109208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rustyfish/pseuds/Rustyfish
Summary: You're practically the definition of a recluse, only ever leaving your apartment for groceries, therapy, and emergencies. As someone who is self-employed and has social anxiety why would you ever leave the safety of home for anything else? With Monsters now free there's even more people wandering the streets which means even more reason not to go out. That is, until you meet a certain fish woman...





	1. Panic!

You woke up feeling refreshed and warm. Without even opening your eyes you could tell the late morning sun was beating down on your face. You could stay like this forever. Part of you wanted to, more than anything in the world, but you knew such things couldn't last. After all it was only a matter of time before Bella, your quiet, little Chihuahua would come and sit on you face in an attempt to get you to feed her. As you opened your eyes you could see the small lump under the sheets beside you where she was laying. You took one more moment to enjoy the feeling of just having woken up, it is often the only time the demons are almost completely gone. Almost.

"Alright Bella cake, let's get you some food eh?" Just like that a tiny brown nose poked out from under the covers as you rolled out of bed, not bothering to make it again. As you reached the cupboard where the dog food was you heard a light thump come from your bedroom, shortly followed by the clicking of claws on hardwood. "Looks like today is shopping day Bella, you're out of food." You say as you pour the remaining food left in the bag into the bowl. "I'll go later when the store won't be busy." And so you check your own supply stock and make a list of what you need before heading to your computer to game for a while. Recently, you've been super involved with an MMORPG and are the main healer of a large guild. Its often easier to talk to others through text and a screen than face to face, though that doesn't mean its not still hard for you. The people are nice though and are starting to feel like a family, its the best way to distract you from what happens in real life.

 _You're not going to make it! You're late! They'll hate you for it!_ The thoughts are pounding in your head as you try to focus on where you're going. Its 8:30PM and the store closes at 9:00PM. You're feeling dizzy. As you reach the store you collapse against the wall, taking shallow breaths. Shaking, you rest your face on your knees, pulled tight against your chest, and tug at your hair. After about a minute the dizziness passes and you can stand again, you walk into the store and try to ignore the stares of employees who are begging inwardly for you to leave and their shift to end. You hurry to the pet isle and grab a bag of small dog food. _Why does small dog food only come in small packages?_ Make that two bags. As you reach for your list to check the next item on your list your heart drops. You left it at home in your blind panic to arrive before the store closes. _Which means..._ You'll have to come back tomorrow. You take a deep breath, two panic attacks within five minutes is too much, and slowly walk to the checkout, focusing on breathing evenly.

"HELLO HUMAN! I! THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AM YOUR CASHIER ON THIS LOVELY NIGHT! I DO HOPE YOU FOUND EVERYTHING ALRIGHT!" Taken aback by the sudden loud voice in front of you and the imposing height and figure of the monster in front of you was enough to undo everything you had just been trying to prevent. You scrambled backwards, dropping the bags of dog food on the ground and crashing into the shelves behind you. "OH MY... HUMAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" It was then that you just lost it. You began crying, out of embarrassment, pain, and just everything not going right today. You couldn't help it but crying just made things worse and it turned into an endless cycle of being an utter failure and a pathetic sight to behold. _Why does everything always go horribly? Gosh, you're so. Damn. Stupid! It'd be better if you never-_ Your thoughts were interrupted by a hand placed on your shoulder. You kept your eyes shut trying to stop the tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry! I'll pay for all the damage I've caused and get out right away. I'm so sorry. I-" Your ramblings were cut short when you were suddenly tugged up onto your feet. When you opened your eyes the tall skeleton wasn't in front of you like you thought, instead it was a fish woman. She was beautiful. You couldn't help but stare at her long, red hair. In many games and animes you've enjoyed, the strong, independent, women often had bright red hair like hers. You even dye you hair red because you admire them so deeply.

"Hey, don't worry about it punk. Papyrus may look scary but he wouldn't harm a fly!" She gave you a huge smile which was surprisingly contagious, causing you to give a shy grin back at her. "There, see? You're fine! Here, you dropped something." She handed you a bag with the dog food inside. "Don't worry about it. Papyrus will pay for it. Right Pap?" She gave a side glare at Papyrus who was standing several feet away and he nodded enthusiastically.

"N-no it's okay, really! I'm the one who should be paying. I just got startled that's all! Really!" The fish woman glared at you with one eye for a moment before stepping back and crossing her arms. You locked eyes with her and stood your ground. There's no way you were going to make someone pay for your mistakes. Not now. Not ever. Not again. 

"You're sure about this huh?" You nodded unable to speak much more under the circumstances. "Alright. Hey Paps you're good to check her out!" Papyrus was careful to not say anything else, constantly glancing at the woman sheepishly. "You know the way you stood your ground there kinda reminded me of someone we know. Did you see it too Papyrus?" He nodded but looked like he was about to burst from not actually speaking. "Yeah, our friend is a lot like that... Though maybe more obviously." She laughed. All you could do was nod. "Hey, uh, how about I walk you out? It's pretty late and you shouldn't be out there alone." You nodded again, that sounded like a good idea, you get really panicky when it's dark and quiet.

"Uh... Th-thanks... Um..." You stopped realizing you didn't know this kind person's name.

"It's Undyne. Nice to meet you punk!" She flashed that smile again and you could feel yourself relax a little as you grinned back.

"Yeah, and um same to you... and Papyrus." You looked over to the skeleton and he was beaming. _Wait are those sparkles?_ You begin leading Undyne out towards your car when you feel a hand on your shoulder stop you.

"You gonna tell us your name? Or shall you be called cry baby?" Undyne flashed a semi-menacing smile.

"Monica." You say, inwardly cringing at the fact that she had to calm you down from a panic attack without even knowing your name.

"Well Monica, I hope we meet again some day." _You know what? Yeah. Me too Undyne. Me too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Sansy this chapter! Maybe not even next chapter! Who knows? Wait I do... *shugs* Tis a slow burn indeed... Instead have a different skele and a fish woman :3


	2. Crash and Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne invites you for anime night in an attempt to force you out of your shell, but things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grab some popcorn this one is really long compared to the first chapter. Also have some fluff. It's needed after that first chapter, hoo boy. There's still gonna be angst though cause I can't really write fluff :3

"Hey, listen..." Undyne stopped you as you reached your car. Fall is already here, and you can feel it. As you stop walking a cool breeze brushes past you causing you to shiver. Whatever she's about to say, you'd much rather hear it somewhere warmer. "My girlfriend Alphys, well, you remind me of her in some ways. I think it would be beneficial for you two to meet. I know we only just met, but I think I have a pretty good judge of character and you seem alright!" She looked around as if to make sure no one was watching, which didn't make sense to you since it's so dark in the parking lot outside of the grocery store. "Alphys has panic attacks too." _Oh..._ "She thinks she's completely alone though. I just thought maybe if you could be friends she wouldn't have to feel that way...?" _Great, how am I supposed to say no to that?_ She looked down and swung her foot, gently kicking the gravel on the road behind her.

"I mean... I wouldn't want to impose or anything... If she's like me she wouldn't exactly be thrilled with that idea." You say hoping she gets the hint that you really don't feel comfortable around others, let alone meeting new people.

"But that's why I think it'd be good for both of you! You'd have something in common that you could help each other through!" _I can't tell if she got the hint or not..._ After a short pause you nod and motion for Undyne's phone to put you number in. You've never seen a fish look so proud of itself. "I'll text you later to let you know when and where. Thank you, Monica and try not to get startled so easily next time!" She closes her one available eye very dramatically. _Was that supposed to be a wink?_ And punches your arm before turning back to the store giving a single wave as she walks away. You can't help but shake your head as you get in your car and head for home, smiling the whole way back.

As you walk into your house you're greeted by a wiggling, brown, fuzzball. You put away the dog food from earlier and pick Bella up. "Hey Sweetie, did you miss me? I had a rough time... No pun intended... Let's have a movie night, yeah?" You give her a hug before setting her down on the couch and wrapping her in a spare blanket. You turn on Netflix to the first movie you found with dogs in it. Looked kinda childish, but you were sure she'd enjoy it. As it started you made some popcorn and grabbed some blankets for yourself. Movie night often meant you'd be sleeping on the couch so you brought extra pillows too. As you lay down, Bella moved closer to you so as much of her as possible was in contact with you. She did this every night and it always made you feel like you're not alone. There's something about animals, they just _get_ you. Halfway through the movie you feel your eyes start to get heavy and your thoughts wander until finally everything goes dark.

You woke up to your phone buzzing on the counter in the kitchen. The sun is barely shining through the windows. _What time is it?_ Grudgingly you get up off the couch, cracking your back before finding where that awful noise is coming from. When you reach your phone the caller ID displays a number you don't recognize. You choose to silence your phone and let whoever's calling go to voicemail. You hate talking on the phone almost as much as face to face. _Wait... That couldn't be Undyne right? She said she'd text me._ You look back at the phone, still lit up with the number you don't know. You shake your head. _If they call back I'll answer, just in case._ "Well Bella, looks like I'm up early today." You call out over the counter at the lump still sleeping on the couch. After filling her dish, you decide to wash up and get ready to go back to the store to get the items you forgot about last night. It should be early enough in the day that it won't be busy yet. You double check that the list is still in your pocket before heading out.

As you drive into the parking lot you feel your phone start buzzing in your pocket. After you've parked you pull out your phone to find that it's the same number as before. Hesitantly you answer it. "Hello?"

"There you are! I've been calling you all morning!" Sure enough, it was Undyne.

"Oh Undyne, that's you right? Didn't you say you'd text me?"

"Yeah, but that wouldn't get your attention as well as calling would. Anyways, I'm at the grocery store we met at last night. I run with Papyrus to and from his shifts there and I was thinking, hey, that's as good a spot as any to meet up at since, you know, that's where we met!" You immediately stop getting out of your car and look frantically around. There aren't many cars here, if she's outside and you get out she'll see you for sure.

You take a deep breath. "Actually I'm there now. I forgot some things yesterday. Would you like to come with?" You clench you teeth and shut your eyes. Waiting for some kind of rejection or abandonment.

"No way!" _Welp at least she's honest..._ "Where are you at, punk?"

"Wh-what?" You opened your eyes. _She's not rejecting me...? No that's stupid why would she reject me just cause I happened to be there at the same time as her again?_

"I said, where are you at, punk? I wanna come say hello and maybe properly introduce you to Papyrus again. You gonna be okay?" Her voice started to quiet down.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm just in the parking lot. Gonna come in through the West doors." You start taking deep breaths, mentally preparing yourself for what might be one of the most stressful days you've had in a while. Though, it has the potential to be one of the most fun days you've ever had.

"I can come get you if you'd like. Alphys says that helps her sometimes."

"Just meet me at the doors I need a second to get my bearings." After you hang up you get out of the car and look over your surroundings once more. It's still pretty early and there aren't many cars around, but you should still be quick so you don't catch the crowd.

Undyne is leaning against the brick walls outside of the store, beside the West entrance. You give her a shy wave as you approach, she greets you with a big smile and enthusiastically waves back. "Hey! C'mon let's go see Papyrus! You're okay today right? You won't freak out at his voice or anything again right?" You shrug, it's not really up to you. You are feeling better today than last night though. "Alright, I told him to be gentle, though he always is regardless. Can't promise about the volume though! Fuhuhu!" She leads you inside and Papyrus is waiting just inside the doors, pacing. "Hey Papyrus! You remember Monica from yesterday right? I'm taking her to my place for anime night with me and Alphys after she gets some shopping done."

"HELLO MONICA HUMAN! I DO APOLOGIZE FOR YESTERDAY, USUALLY IT'S MY APPEARANCE THAT FRIGHTENS HUMANS, NOT MY VOICE." He bends down to your level and extends his hand towards you. You tentatively grab and shake it.

"It's alright I was just a bit on edge yesterday." You say trying your best to remain in control of yourself. You glance over to the checkout isle you fell into last night. It looks as if nothing happened, Papyrus must've had to clean it up. You cringe at yourself for that, you should've helped instead of run away. "Um, Undyne could you help me out with the groceries? I want to finish before it gets too busy here."

Papyrus immediately stood up straight and posed with a fist against his chest. "DO NOT WORRY! I! THE GREAT PAPYRUS! WILL HELP YOU WITH ALL YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS! IT IS MY JOB AFTER ALL! NYEHEHE!" He then rushed off without a second to waste.

"But he doesn't even know what I need..." You say. Confused you look up at Undyne who isn't there anymore. She chased after Papyrus yelling something about being quicker than he is. You sigh. _Guess it's up to me then..._

You're just finishing getting everything when Undyne and Papyrus find you again. Both of them are hauling carts filled with popato chisps of many different flavours as well as sodas. _Ah, for the anime night Undyne mentioned I assume._ After a short-lived debate between the two it was concluded that they tied in their race. "Hey I invited Papyrus for anime night with us. That cool with you?" Undyne motioned towards a bouncing Papyrus. How could you say no to that? He's adorable in a kid like way. You simply nodded and glanced between the carts and them. _Are they expecting me to pay for all that? It's enough to feed a small army! In fact they probably grabbed everything off the shelves._ "Oh, don't worry about it Monica. We'll pay for our own things." You sighed in relief.

"You guys gonna want a lift? That's a lot of stuff, and carts aren't allowed outside of the store, you should know that Papyrus." Undyne and Papyrus look at each other as if it hadn't even occurred to them. Then Undyne looks back at you and punches your shoulder. _Ow, I'm fragile you know!_

"That would be great! Thanks! Though Papyrus here still has a shift for a few hours. Let's drop off your things first?" You nod and start heading to the checkout. After paying for your things you load as much as you can into your little car and Papyrus promises to keep the rest safe in the back for all of you until his shift is over. On the drive back to your place, Undyne talks about Alphys, and how they met and ended up getting together because of the human, Frisk, who freed all monsters a year ago. You were a bit envious of their relationship, it sounded like they really loved each other. You've only been in one really serious relationship and it ended horribly... "This is your apartment huh? It's super cozy maybe we should have it here instead. Hey! Yeah! You okay with that? It'll just be us four so there's plenty of room! Alphys could stand to go somewhere other than the lab too!" You shrug. You'll probably have an easier time in surroundings you're familiar with anyways. "Cool! We'll pick her up with Papyrus then." Just then Bella comes out and nearly trips Undyne as she admires the apartment. "Woah! Hey, you got a dog?" You immediately perk up. You have an easier time talking about animals.

"Yeah, her name's Bella. She's a Chihuahua, they're really small and fragile so be careful if you're gonna pet her or pick her up." Undyne nods at you before slowly bending down to stroke her. You've never seen Undyne as calm and focused as right now.

"We had dogs in the underground. Though they were monster type dogs if that makes sense." You nod silently, curious about what she's going to say. "Most of them were in the Royal Guard with me back underground. Yet, despite them technically working under me I thought of them as family." She went quiet for a moment, petting Bella some more before standing up to face you. "You got lots of pillows and blankets? We should make a fort to get ready for anime night! It'll be awesome!" You grabbed all the blankets and pillows and made the most majestic fort you could imagine. It even had two levels! Most of the work was done by Undyne, somehow you figured she's done this many times, but you felt you contributed quite a bit. Once everything was set up and groceries had been put away, it was time to pick up Papyrus and then Alphys for anime night. Papyrus was first, along with the rest of the things he and Undyne had gotten earlier that day.

"Do you think we should bring the rest of this stuff back to my place first?" You ask, seeing how cramped it could be if Alphys is as big as the two of them.

"Nah, Alphys is pretty small she'll fit no problem!" Undyne says, pushing herself in after Papyrus. So you get in and start driving to Undyne's house, following her directions from the back seat.

"Monica, turn right at Ebott Drive." Undyne calls out. You squint out the window at the signs passing by. _I really should've worn glasses or something, I can't tell which is which!_ Suddenly you spot it and are forced to take a rather sharp turn quickly. Resulting in loads of chisps falling onto you from the passenger seat. _Ah, crap!_ Some of the soda fell on you as well and burst open from being shaken from the turn and falling so suddenly. You begin to panic. _What do I do? I can't meet another one of these people as a mess again! They're going to hate me! I ruined their perfect night! If I hadn't come along this wouldn't be happening! I shoul-_ "Monica! Watch out!" You look up to see a small, white dog on the road. You're about to hit it! You scream and slam on the brakes, turning the wheel to try to avoid the dog. You lose control of the car and cause it to spin out, flipping the car. Then everything fades out.

"UNDYNE! SHE'S HURT!" _Papyrus...?_ Everything is going black...

"Call someone quickly!" _Undyne too...?_ It's so **dark...**

"SANS! YOU NEED TO COME HELP! OUR FRIEND CRASHED AND IS LEAKING OUT OF HER HEAD! WE'RE NEAR UNDYNE'S HOUSE PLEASE HURRY SANS!" _Who's Sans...?_ Getting **darker...**

"heya, you don't look so good kiddo. don't worry, i know someone who can help." _If I'm going to die... I think that's okay..._ **Yet darker...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all might hate me for that cliff hanger but hey what's a good story without a few of those huh? This took me 5 hours to write... so uh... thanks for reading? and stuff? sorry again its so long but i kept getting carried away and i mean... i like to read the longer stories anyways so maybe you do too... i listened to battle against a true hero remixes the whole time i wrote this and it really got me pumped so yea thats a thing... imma go now... see ya next chapter... im so tired... g'night... snores...


	3. Who's There?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet some new people, but one of them seems particularly strange to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- Attempted rape/non-con in this chapter towards the middle-end.

The first thing you notice as you regain consciousness is how horribly your head hurts. The next thing you realize is that you're laying down on something soft. _But wait! I was driving!_ You open your eyes and sit up with a start but immediately a large paw pushes you back down. Standing over you is a large, goat monster at least as tall as Papyrus if not taller. "You must rest, my child." Her voice is so soothing, you can't help but relax when you'd normally be panicking.

"What about Undyne and Papyrus? Are they okay?" You ask, remembering they were with you.

"They were unharmed, you were the only one with serious injuries." _Serious injuries? Oh no..._ "You hurt your head pretty badly, it was all torn up and bleeding when you were brought to me. I fear you may have fractured your skull."

"What does that mean for me then? Do I like need a cast on my head or something? Wait... We're not in a hospital... Where am I?" You look around the room you're in. You're laying on a couch enveloped in pillows and blankets, but you're not in your house. This place is far bigger and feels quite homey.

The woman giggles. "You are at my house, my child, and you will be perfectly fine. My healing magic has lessened the severity of your wounds but you still need to rest." You nod silently, taking in your surroundings. The woman stands up and straightens out her robe. It has the symbol that represents monsters. _What's it called again...? The... Delta Rune?_ The woman gives you a slight courtesy and turns to walk away, but you stop her.

"Excuse me, um, what's your name?" You feel bad not asking sooner considering all she seems to have done for you.

"Oh! I am so sorry! How rude of me not to say so sooner. My name is Toriel." She gives you a kind smile. "I'm making butterscotch-cinnamon pie. Do you feel up for eating, my child?" You smile and nod.

"Yes please!" At that moment you hear some noise coming from the kitchen. So much in fact that you suddenly worry about the state of Toriel's kitchen. "Um, what's going on in there?" You call out. Toriel has already disappeared into the kitchen after the noise and you're left alone. You wait a moment for some kind of response or for her to come back but when nothing happens you choose to get up and inspect your surroundings a little closer. There's a fireplace just behind the couch where you were laying with pictures on it. There's one of Toriel, Undyne, Papyrus, the monster ambassador, and some other monsters that you don't recognize. A piece of it seems to have been torn off. _I wonder what happened there? Toriel doesn't seem like the type of person who'd do something like that on purpose... Right?_ There's another picture of the ambassador holding a very unhappy looking flower monster in a pot. The last picture is one that is sepia toned and clearly, very old. There are two tall figures, one of them you assume is Toriel due to the exact same looking robe, along with two children holding flowers. One of them has their face completely covered by the flowers but from what you can make out, appears to be a human. The other child looks almost exactly like Toriel and is smiling brightly. _I wonder why their face is the only one that's visible. Maybe it's an artistic thing._ Your head is starting to hurt again so you decide to see if Toriel has any pain medications, or if she can take you home so you can get some yourself. As you turn around you almost run into a small child. _Wait, that's not just any child._ You look back at the first two photos. _Yep, that's the ambassador._ They don't move or say anything, just simply watch you. "Uh, hey kid. How long have you been there?" They just shrug and bob their head from side to side. "A while then...?" They nod. "Um, I'm sorry, I know who you are but... What's your name again sweetie?" They begin to quickly move their hands. "Uh woah there, I don't really know sign language that well, can you go real slow for me?" They nod and sign slower. They put their index finger to their thumb, kinda like they're saying 'okay', while facing their palm towards you. "F?" They nod. They cross their index finger over their middle finger. "R?" They nod again. They put their pinky finger up. "I?" They close their fist. "S?" They put their index and middle finger up, spaced apart, and put their thumb between them. "Um... K, right?" They nod and put their hands down. "Your name is... Frisk? Nice to meet you, I'm Monica." You lean down a bit and extend your hand, but they just go straight in for a hug instead. It's been so long since anyone has hugged you, you forgot what it's like. You just sit there for a couple seconds, enjoying the feeling. "You're a good kid. You know I have a niece who's about your age, maybe a bit younger, I think you'd like her." Frisk pulls back and nods, their mouth turning upwards slightly. They don't seem to express a lot, especially not for a kid their size. They seem to always have a look like they're just kinda done with everyone's bullshit, except all the time, even in the pictures on the fireplace. You can't help but think it's a little funny. They start to move their hands again, although it's more slowly than before you still don't know what they're saying. "I'm sorry Frisk, but I only know the alphabet." They pause for a moment then reach into the pocket of their sweater and pull out a notebook. _Well that's handy... Pun not intended._ They click a pen and start writing, not letting you see until they're done. **What is your niece's name?** You give a sad smile. "Suzie." Frisk nods and begins writing. **That's a nice name.** "Yeah, I think it suits her." Frisk nods one last time and starts heading towards the kitchen. You follow after, remembering you still need pain medication.

Upon entering the kitchen you understand the noise from earlier. Both Undyne and Papyrus are fighting over a box of spaghetti noodles, Toriel is fanning the smoke detector, a flower is yelling insults at everyone, and Frisk is stealing an entire pie amidst all the chaos. On top of all that the kitchen is a complete mess, there's flour covering the counters and floor, what looks like tomatoes splattered on the walls, a jug of milk has been knocked over and has made a puddle on the counter and is dripping onto the floor, even some eggs have been splattered around. Not even two seconds after you see the state of the kitchen you immediately get out of there. You're desperate to find the door leading outside. You really need fresh air right now. There's no way you're letting yourself have a panic attack again. _Ugh, why's this house so big?_ You make a quick turn down a hallway and see a large glass door that leads outside. _There we go!_ However, you being the klutz that you are, end up slipping on the floor while making a turn and fall into a wall. "Ah, damnit!" You scurry to your feet, rubbing your head that you hurt even more. Once outside, you sit on the steps and breathe deeply. It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, the leaves are changing colours. It's the perfect temperature, you wonder if it'll be okay to go for a walk. _I barely know these people, it's not like they'd care if I wasn't there anyways._ You shake your head. What you wouldn't give to just have positive thoughts for a day. You look around, you recognize this area, it's not too far from your house. You decide to walk home, get some pain medication, and check on Bella. As you take a step forward you feel a hand grab your shoulder tightly. _Welp, I'm dead._

"hey pal, i think tori said something about rest. you wouldn't want to go against her orders, would you?" It was a voice you've never heard before, and it chilled you to the bone. You quickly spun around to get a look at who's talking to you but as you did you started to feel dizzy and faint, instead you end up falling right into him. "woah there buddy. falling for me already huh?" The voice was suddenly much lighter sounding. You quickly push yourself off of him.

"S-sorry! I-I didn't mean... I mean, I didn't know... I mean... Ugh!" You push the heel of your palms into your eyes and wince. You feel like you literally couldn't mess up meeting people more than you have with these monsters. "I'm sorry. I need to go. Tell Toriel and the others thanks for me." With that, you run away without even looking at the person you were talking to. You run and run until you can't feel your legs anymore. You run until you don't know where you are, yet you keep running. Eventually you collapse in an alleyway, with tear stains on your cheeks. You can't breathe, your chest is on fire, and you can barely move your legs. You sit against a wall and rest your chin on your knees. _How'd things end up this way?_ Sifting through the pockets of your jeans you find your inhaler and take a long, deep breath as you press the button. You count to ten, slowly breathe out, then use it again. _Why'd things end up this way?_ You return the inhaler to your pocket. You're glad whoever rescued you left it there. _What do I do?_ You get back to your feet, ignoring the cries from your entire body telling you to rest some more. With a hand on the wall to support yourself you try to find a landmark of some kind to get your bearings. The sun is starting to sink in the sky and you can tell it's going to be dark soon. You hope you can get somewhere you recognize before you can't see anything. You take out your phone. _2% why am I not surprised?_ You shove your phone away with a sigh and simply hope for the best.

You've been walking for an hour, your phone is dead, and the sun has set. You feel like crap and wish you'd have stayed with Toriel where it's warm and safe. _Why'd I even have to run? Ugh, you're so stupid!_ You hit yourself in the head and immediately wince from the pain. Suddenly, chills run up your spine and the sense of dread is heavy in the air, almost palpable. You know this feeling, you know it too well. The frightening, all too real, sense of foreboding. Your legs lock up and you freeze, shaking so hard it hurts. You will yourself to call out. To ask who's there. Demand they show themselves. But nothing comes out of your mouth except a quiet whimper. You lift your head. If you can't call them out, you might as well try to stare them down. You catch a glimpse of a dark figure directly ahead of you. _Nope. Nope. Nope._ You turn around only to see another figure approaching from the other end of the street. If ever there was a time to panic it was now, and panicking you were. "Hey, girly. You look cold. How about you come here and we'll warm you up real good." You shake your head frantically, backing away, begging them to go away and leave you alone. You back up so much you run into the one that was coming from the other side. He grabs you around the waist with one hand and covers your mouth with the other. You stop. Adrenaline is pumping through your body like it hasn't in years. "There's a good girl you just stay still and don't do anything stupid and maybe we'll let you go. Maybe." You've never felt courage like you feel right in this moment. The man you were backing away from finally reaches you. He grabs your chin and moves your head forcefully to look at you. As his hands move to your pants you take the opportunity and kick him in the balls with all the energy you have while simultaneously elbowing the guy behind you in the ribs. He releases you and the other guy drops to the ground. "Fucking bitch! You'll pay for that!" You immediately turn and punch the guy who was holding you square in the face, then tackling him with your elbow to his stomach, sending him to the ground.

"No. You will." You say spitting in his face. With both of them on the ground you take your chance and run as fast as you can away from them. _There's a building lit up down the street. If I can get there before they catch up to me I should be fine._ Halfway down the street you hear the men shouting, whether it's at you or each other you're not sure, but frankly you don't really care. You know they're coming after you now and since you're so short you can't run very fast. You just hope you can make it in time, or that they don't have a gun. At that moment you hear gunfire. _Of course they have a gun... It's the 21st century and they're maniacs... Of course they have a gun._ You look around desperately and take a turn into an alleyway. You hide behind a dumpster and wait for the commotion to settle down. It only gets worse. You hear shouting, more gunshots, screams, a deafening, inhuman screech, and then silence. _What the hell... was that?_ You wait a little longer, the reality of what just happened seeping in. You start to cry, but not the ugly, bawling type of crying you've been doing lately, just a steady flow of tears as you stare into space, feeling empty, kind of tears. You get up, not feeling the ever-present anxiety at this moment. Right now you want to know what just happened out there. You peek around the corner, trying to avoid being seen in case they were still looking for you. But the street was empty. If you squint, you could make out cracks in the cement and... _are those scorch marks?_ You step out from your hiding place and look around, sighing and rubbing your face. "That's enough excitement for me for the rest of my life..." You decide to start walking towards the lit up building you were originally headed for.

"tori lives the other way, monica." You freeze. It's the same voice from earlier, at Toriel's house. "you've been walking in circles for quite a while. frankly it's been making me _dead_ tired." You turn around only to be met with a monster slightly shorter than you. His face kinda looks like a skeleton you suppose, but it's so different from Papyrus's who's obviously a skeleton. There's two eye sockets and a hole where his nose would be, his head is white like bone too. _But... skeletons can't be chubby right? Maybe it's a monster thing..._ "the name's sans. sans the skeleton. nice to meetcha." He holds out his hand, it's gloved, it seems the only part of his body not covered is his head.

"Aren't you a bit warm in all those clothes?" You ask ignoring his hand. You don't like the way he seems to sneak up on you. _Wait, and how's he know my name?_

"it's comfortable. besides skeletons can't feel cold or heat." He puts his hand back in his pocket and the lights in his eyes move away from you. "listen, you look chilled to the _bone_. i know a shortcut back to tori's if you want." You sigh. You are feeling pretty cold, and it'd be nice to be back somewhere you feel safe.

"On one condition. You take me to my apartment first." You really don't want to leave Bella all alone.

"ok." Sans says shrugging, and starts walking down the alleyway you hid in earlier.

"Dude, that's a dead end." He turns around and gives you finger guns while winking. "Ugh, pun not intended. Seriously, you don't even know where I live and you're walking towards a wall."

"well tell me then." He stops walking and gives you a serious look. Well, as serious as you can look when you never stop smiling that is. Kinda reminds you of Frisk in that way. You giggle a little to yourself.

"3190 Ebott Road Northwest." He continues walking towards the wall. "Sans! Where are you going?"

"i know a shortcut." You sigh and follow after him. Next thing you know you're in your apartment. You look around, confused. You touch the floor and the walls to make sure you're not imagining things. _Nope, definitely real. Well that's creepy._ You turn around to see him laying on the pillow fort you made with Undyne. "go ahead and do whatever. i'll be here." _You've got to be kidding me._

"Hey, um, actually I think I'm just gonna crash here. Save you and the others the trouble and take care of my dog. You know? Besides I'm uh... bone tired?" You hope squeezing in the pun would make him change his mind. He seems to like them.

He opens one eye to look at you for a moment before shrugging. "ok." He closes his eye again. You wait for him to move or something but he doesn't.

"Um... That means you can leave... Uh... Y'know if you want to... I guess." You scratch the back of your head. You're not very good at asking people to do things. It makes you feel bad, and you don't want to be perceived as rude.

He, once again, opens one eye to look at you before shrugging. "ok." He closes his eye again. _I guess he's not leaving... Great. I have a complete stranger staying in my house tonight. Though I guess nothing could stop him from visiting whenever he wants anyways considering how we got here._ You sigh and rub your eyes. With the adrenaline worn off you could practically sleep standing.

"Well I'm going to bed. Lock the door when you leave please, if you use it I suppose. And uh, don't steal anything or watch me sleep or anything creepy like that." You walk to your bedroom picking up Bella on the way.

"i really seem like that kinda guy huh? i'm hurt monica, real hurt." You roll your eyes.

"Goodnight bone boy!" You half-yell before closing the door. You fall onto your bed and drown in the softness and comfort. "What's with that guy?" You say to Bella who's already burrowing herself under the blankets. _And why'd he follow me?_ Your thoughts race of him. _Why does he seem so odd to me? Is it just that I haven't spent enough time with monsters? Are they all that peculiar?_ Eventually you drift asleep with the smell of tea filling your dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been like a week I think? Heh, sorry... I saw all these kudos and bookmarks and hits and just kinda went "nope" for a bit cause I don't know if all of you are going to like where I plan on taking things... but I hope you like this chapter! I really need to stop writing at 1 am... its 5 now and I'm dead...


	4. Your Worst Nightmare.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of last night really took a toll on you mentally. The worst parts of your own mind rear their ugly heads once again, silent suffering you're all too familiar with. Who'd ever be there for you anyways?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - See those tags stating Depression, Self-harm, and Implied/Referenced Suicide? Yeah those are for this chapter. Second paragraph. I don't dance around it neither. You can skip it without missing much story though if you need to.

It's still dark out. You must not have slept for long which is strange considering how exhausted you felt when you went to bed last night. You toss and turn, your legs start getting restless. _What's a girl gotta do to get some proper sleep for once?_ With a groan you slip out from under the sheets and sit on the edge of the bed. _3:38... Wonderful. Just the time I need to be up at today._ You spot a mug beside your bedside lamp. _Did I put that there? I don't usually bring drinks in here..._ You pick it up. The mug itself feels just barely warm and it's full to the brim. You can't make out what is in it due to the darkness of the room. You smell it. Tea maybe? You're no tea expert which makes the fact that this would even be there all the more curious. You dip your finger in and taste it carefully. "Blegh! No sugar." Your sudden exclamation makes Bella shift under the covers. You sigh. "Sorry Bells." She lays back down and you give her a little pat through the blanket before getting up to figure out what to do with this mysterious drink. On your way to the kitchen you notice the pillow fort and remember you should take it down. You feel a heavy weight in your heart at the thought of letting everyone down... again. You go to the sink to dump out the tea but something stops you and you grab the sugar instead. Carefully, you stir in three spoonfuls of sugar and taste it again. _Well, its not bad I guess. Still though, where did this come from? I know the tea I buy and it certainly isn't this._ Just then you remember that you had a guest when you fell asleep. You put the tea down and double check the fort where Sans had been last. He wasn't there. 

_What did you expect? Some kind of love story? That he'd be waiting for you to wake up and make you breakfast in bed? Telling you how beautiful you are and how lucky he is to meet you? Wake up! No one like that exists. Even if they did why would they do that for you? You're no one. They've forgotten you. Everyone. Undyne, Papyrus, Frisk, Toriel, and yes Sans too. They're better than you could ever be and they know it. So many people have left you. You know exactly who I'm talking about. The only ones who ever stay are pets but that's only because they have no other choice._ You fall to the ground, tears streaming down your face. "I know... but still I'd like to believe that maybe they could be different..." _You've thought that about literally everyone else. When will you learn your lesson?_ You hide your face in you knees, pulling at your hair. "I didn't ask for this!" _It was your fault._ The thoughts continue but you don't care, they've done all the damage they need to do now. "I know... I know... I'm useless..." You've entered _that_ state. Tears have stopped and in a haze you stand up and mindlessly walk towards the cabinet where you keep your razor along with disinfectant and bandages. You know when you feel alright you need to get rid of it but you never can. It just feels safe to have it. You open the cabinet and see the rope. You ponder it for a moment. You've always been too cowardly to make good use of it but maybe today you'll finally be able to end your suffering. You grab it just in case along with the rest of your supplies and prop yourself against the counter. You roll up your sleeve and reveal your many scars across your arm. What's a few more? Slowly, you drag the razor across your skin, feeling the sharp pain slowly bring you back to consciousness. The thoughts continue. You repeat. Five new cuts appear on your arm before you set the razor down. The pain has drawn tears to your eyes once again but you still feel numb. It always needs more each time before the haze will disappear. It's greedy like that. You eye the rope. Could today be the day? Would anyone notice? Would anyone find you? At this point you don't care. You walk into your living room carrying a chair behind you, scanning the ceiling for a good spot. You find it and sit down on your chair to start tying. You've done this so many times you don't need to google it anymore. You hang the noose on a hook in the ceiling likely used for a lamp of some sort before you moved here. Shaking, you get onto the chair and slip your head through. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough." You say before you kick away the chair.

"monica." You hear a voice. It's Sans? That can't be though, he was gone. You checked. "monica please!" It's so dark and comfortable though. You want to stay here forever. Forget the hell outside, you just want to enjoy this peace. "wake up! it's just a nightmare!"  
_Wait... what?_ You wake up with a start. It's dark just like in your dream. Everything is just like your dream actually. You look at your bedside table. The same mug is there too. The only difference is that now there are two glowing dots pointed directly at you. "hey bud. you scared me _out of my skin_ there." One of the dots disappear, you assume he winked.

"W-what time is it?" You manage out. Your throat is on fire and you try to pretend you voice didn't crack there.

"4:19am. that was some dream you were havin'. woke me up from the other room and trust me i sleep like the _dead_." He pauses. "you wanna talk about it?"

You freeze remembering what happened. You wonder what he could've heard, you've never been told that you talk in your sleep. "Heh... um it was nothing. Can hardly even remember it now. My throat is absolutely killing me though I'm gonna go get a drink." You try to stand but suddenly feel way too heavy, you must be more tired than you thought. You fall back onto the bed. The glowing eyes point towards the mug on the table and you can just barley make out a silhouette reaching for it. You try to sit up a little which you can do easier. Sans gently takes your hand, you notice he still has gloves on. _What a strange dude._ He puts the mug into your hand making sure you have a firm hold on it before letting go.

"i made you some tea. i'm not sure if you like it but this stuff is from the underground it has some pretty potent healing effects. especially on humans." Tentatively you take a sip. It's fairly sweet compared to the dream version though still not something you'd normally have.

"That's very kind of you. Thank you." You say before you try to go in for a hug. You haven't had someone take care of you like this since you were sick as a little kid. Your hug was unsuccessful though, you start to feel really heavy again and nearly spill the tea all over yourself. Thankfully Sans catches it before it fully leaves your hand and puts it back on the table. "Oops sorry... butterfingers." Sans starts to laugh. "Hey! Whats so funny about that?!"

"well that tea is golden flower tea. though you humans have started calling the flowers butterfingers since we brought them to the surface." He starts laughing again. You giggle a bit too but your throat starts to hurt again.

"Gee that's some coincidence. Um, you wanna turn on the light please? This is kinda weird just talking to a pair of glowing dots." You laugh sheepishly hoping that wasn't too awkward.

"oh sorry. i'll actually just go and let you get back to sleep. i'm sure you need it." With that the glowing dots suddenly disappeared. You were alone again. _That guy sure is strange..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gets on hands and knees* Forgive me!!!!  
> I know I've been gone a long time and then i come back with... this... i has no excuse i just didn't feel like writing T.T I'm a bad!  
> *throws more chapters* these will be coming sooner i swear... hopefully ^.^  
> (just bug me if they don't)


	5. Unexpected Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes back to normal as if everything that happened recently never did. Perhaps that's for the best?

You couldn't fall back asleep. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon and you knew there was no way you'd be able to sleep with it shining on your face. With a groan you sit up slightly, blanket draped over your shoulders and knowing full well you look like a mess. Bella shifts and pokes her nose out. "Breakfast time?" That's all you needed to say, suddenly she was on your lap wiggling up a storm. Bella never fails to make you smile but still... you could tell it was gonna be one of those days. You pick her up and gently place her on the floor before stretching and cracking your back. It pops rather high up where it has been hurting a lot lately and you let out a pleasant sigh. _Ah... at least the day is starting out good despite my mood._ You walk out of your room to find the fort you built with Undyne to be completely cleaned up. _I guess Sans cleaned it up last night. That's very nice of him I'll have to thank him next time I see him. If I ever see him or any of the others again after what I pulled yesterday... Nope! Don't think like that Monica! Come on let's go feed Bella._ You shake your head as if it will dispel the negativity and continue on your way. You decide that today you should do some work you've been putting off for a while so after feeding Bella you sit at your computer and work the day away.

The sun is starting to set and your fingers are cramping up as you write the last line of code for the day. You stretch out your hands careful not to let them pop. For some reason you can't stand the sound of knuckles and fingers cracking but are fine with it anywhere else. You look at the time, 6:04. Sighing you stand up and feed Bella, this is your life. Already your new friends aren't your friends anymore and you'll likely never see them again. That's how it always is. People have always left you without so much as a word so you never expect to hear from anyone at all anymore. It's easier this way anyways, you only have yourself to blame for anything that happens in your life whether its good or bad. It's not so bad though, you have Bella to keep you from getting too lonely. Just then your thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock on your door. Kinda more like a banging actually, like whoever is there is really angry about something. _Oh crap! I hope I didn't forget my rent... the landlord can get kinda scary._ You unlock the door and nearly get trampled.

"Oh Monica! Thank goodness you're alright!"

"HUMAN! I! THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU SAFE!"

"What the heck Punk?! You scared us half to death!"

"Uh... sorry?" Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, and Frisk were all crowding around you as if you were hurt or something. You were suddenly very confused... and embarrassed! "Oh! Oh my god! Guys, give me some warning if you're gonna come over! I haven't showered and I'm hardly dressed. Oh man this is embarrassing... Why are you even here? I-I mean it's not like I don't want you to! Or um whatever..." You felt your face go red. You tend to ramble when embarrassed which only makes things worse. It's just then that you spot a certain skeleton hiding by the doorway. "You!" You point at him and start marching your way to him. "You told them where I live didn't you? You told them something is wrong with me didn't you? I noticed how strange you acted last night! I'm not an idiot even though everyone seems to think I am! Why does everyone always think that?" You felt so much rage burning inside you towards Sans. Rage that you actually don't know why you have towards him. It's not like he did anything wrong. "Ugh, shi-" You catch yourself remembering Frisk is in the room. "Shiitake mushrooms..." You kick yourself for almost swearing in front of the kid especially with Toriel right there. "Um thank you for cleaning up last night and uh... the thing you did for me. I'm still mad though!" You hear giggling behind you. You turn around. "What's so funny?"

Undyne puts her hands up in false surrender. "Oh nothing! You just remind me of a certain plane." Just like that everyone starts laughing, even Sans behind you lets out a snort. You sneer in his direction which only fuels the laughter. "Seriously though." Undyne says after she can hold her composure a little better. "Did you forget I've been here too? Anime night remember?" You feel your face get even hotter. _Oh... right..._ "Do I wanna know why Sans knows your address? And why you're _mad_ at him?" She put mad in air quotes. "And a certain _thing_ he did for you and cleaned up after?" Undyne sneers at you while Frisk wiggles their eyebrows and made a subtle yet crude gesture with their hands. _Oh geeze kid... no... don't even..._

"I'll have you know he found me when I decided to be an idiot and brought me back home. Then helped me after I had a nightmare." You heard Sans shift behind you.

"yeah, the gal was practically dead last night."

"If that was supposed to be a pun it was horrible. No one here is even actually dead! You and Papyrus just _look_ like skeletons." You sigh, everyone knows the best puns are the ones you almost miss cause they have a double meaning. Not... _that_.

"hey now! that wasn't very nice. i'm not tough skinned like you are."

"Hrmph! I'll take that one I suppose." You pause and look around at everyone. "So why are you guys here?"

"You weren't answering my texts and calls. We got worried." Someone worrying about you? That hasn't happened in years. You're the crazy girl no one can handle so they all just leave. No one ever bothers to actually check on you.

"That's... so sweet of you guys. I'm touched. I don't see why I didn't hear..." You trail off. "Oh... my phone died last night. I guess I was too tired to remember to charge it before I went to sleep. I'm really sorry you guys. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS FORGIVES YOU HUMAN! NOW! LET US GO TO THE PARTY!" Papyrus, who has been so silent this whole time, finally speaks up. You really like the guy he's so innocent and surprisingly gentle. _Wait... party?_

Almost as if reading your mind Undyne snatches you up and over her shoulder. "Right! Come on Punk! You didn't think we'd let you wiggle away from this did you?" 

"Wh-what?" You have never been so confused in your life. All you can do is let yourself get dragged away as Toriel follows you two into your bathroom. Frisk and Papyrus kneel down to pet Bella who is just as confused as you, while Sans of course makes himself at home on your couch. This is your life now.

After an hour of Undyne fussing over your makeup muttering about cheap drugstore brands and Toriel lovingly picking out outfits you didn't realize you owned let alone wore. You finally manage to look well put together for the first time in a very long time. "So what's this party for?" You've been trying to ask the past hour but every time Undyne would shush you and say she's working art, which admittedly she did. She grins but not in the usual semi-menacing yet playful way she normally does. Instead it's almost... lovingly? Dreamy?

"I guess you'd know if your phone was turned on huh?" The grin turns playful again but still has a hint of that odd look. She stands you on your feet and, after Toriel messes with your hair a little, shoves you out the door without another word. You sigh. _Guess it's a surprise. I just hope there aren't too many other people there._ "Alright we're done. Let's get this party started!" With that Papyrus and Undyne dart out the door with Frisk following behind. Toriel calls out to them telling them to watch their steps but ends up having to rush after them. She mutters a quick apology and is quickly out of sight. You grab your keys and walk after Sans out the door, locking it on your way out.

"you look nice." Sans mutters as you fumble with the lock. You actually almost don't hear him, he said it quietly and your lock is quite noisy.

You smile. "Thank you." You sense him startle behind you. _Heh, he thought I didn't hear him._ You turn to him and see that he's looking relaxed like always. You figured he'd look embarrassed or something but not a trace of it was there. You can't help but feel a little disappointed at that. It would've been nice to not be the only one made a fool of lately. "You still haven't answered me. From earlier. Remember?" You put on your best menacing look. Somehow you don't think it works very well.

He simply shrugs. "think undyne already answered you. she remembered where you live cause she was literally here with you most of yesterday." You cross your arms and sigh. You wish you knew what it was about this guy that made you so irritable.

"I meant like, with the whole nightmare thing and you sleeping over and... and you can teleport? Wait that's a thing? How the hell does that work? Is it a monster thing? You guys are the first monsters I've ever met and I don't really follow the news or anything so I don't really know what you guys can do. What even are you? Sorry if that's offensive but like, if you're a skeleton how do you breathe or eat? Oh my gosh how am I just freaking out about this now? This is so weird!" Your mind is buzzing with questions. As someone very logic based in their thinking your brain is starting to hurt thinking about all the how's and why's. You manage to snap out of your head when you hear Sans laughing like a maniac. "What's so funny? They're perfectly normal questions... kinda."

"magic." Is the only reply Sans gives before walking off. You huff in frustration but follow after, rubbing your bare arms. Sans slows until you catch up and you're both walking side by side. "tell ya what... i ask a question and you have to answer honestly then you can ask a question and i'll answer honestly." You stop at the elevator and glare at him suspiciously.

"But I asked first. Besides what is this, high school? Pretty sure they're the only ones who do that kind of thing to get to know someone instead of y'know normal conversations."

"ya snooze ya lose." He shrugs and looks back towards the elevator without pressing the button. You try to glare him down but it doesn't work very well on people if they aren't looking in your direction.

"Ugh fine... You're seriously so weird." You sigh, since when are you a more interesting subject than freaking magic? _The world sure is a strange place..._

"heh thanks pal." He finally looks over at you but then his eyes drift down to your bare arm. "what happened to your arm?"

Your heart drops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoooo! guess who kept her promise? AND gave you a long chapter? this gal! whoop whoop! *throws confetti everywhere*
> 
> seriously though thank you so much for all the support guys... it means a lot though admittedly is kinda scary ^.^"  
> i hope you guys enjoy where i plan on taking things even if it does take a while to get there... i promise what i have in mind will blow your socks off.   
> hint: i put a lot of foreshadowing in every chapter and the name of the story is quite literal. i'll let you guys try to figure out all that will happen on your own muahahaha
> 
> see you guys when i see ya <3


	6. Panic! at the "Party"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is taking you to some kind of "party", one they've neglected to tell you anything about. You finally meet Alphys.

_Oh no..._ You forgot to grab a shawl to cover your arms in the chaos. You immediately bring your hand up to cover the typical spot, you moved so quickly though that you ended up slapping yourself. _Ow..._ "Uh... I-I... I don't know what you mean..." _Slow clap... That was probably the most futile attempt at anything ever._ Sans stares back at you, clearly confused.

"your arm..." You wince. _Please don't. Stop._ "do all humans have that? i don't recall frisk having anything like that but then again they are just a _sprout_. perhaps they're still _budding_." He winks at you, clearly pleased with himself. _Wait... what?_ You look down at your arm.

"Oh!" You exclaim, perhaps a little louder than intended. "It's a tattoo. This one is a rose, as I'm sure you noticed by those puns I will not mention."

"ya just did mention them though" You ignore him.

"Not all humans have them, its actually a choice. In fact some humans are against them, why is beyond me but that's humans for you. Lots of people get them to represent something important to them. This one was for my best and truest friend. She's gone now..." You pause, a wave of sadness coming over you. "Don't laugh-"

"me? laugh? you hurt me monica." He pokes your arm and retracts his hand immediately as if it hurt, making sure to exaggerate his "pain". _Sigh..._

"Hrmph... Now I don't want to tell you as punishment for whatever that excuse of a joke was." You pause waiting for him to protest or make a stupid pun or something. He doesn't. He just waits, staring at the elevator doors. At that exact moment they open and you both walk inside, you press the button for the main floor and the doors close. "She was my dog." You relent. "Most people laugh, they say things like 'Why's a dog your best friend? You that lonely?' and things like that." You stare at the ground. _Carpet... Fascinating..._ Maybe if you count the spots he'll forget you said anything.

"there's nothing wrong with that." You snap your head towards him.

"You mean that?" He simply nods, still looking ahead. The doors open and you're greeted by the rest of the group.

"AH THERE YOU TWO ARE! WE WERE WORRIED WE LOST YOU IN YOUR OWN BUILDING!" Papyrus gives you and Sans a big hug, it's slightly uncomfortable cause of all the bones but you don't mind.

"we're here now aren't we bro? better wipe that look off your face or our friend here will think you're too _sternum_."

"SANS NO." 

"Sans no." You and Papyrus say in unison. You both look at each other, then at Sans, then back to each other. You both burst out laughing. "Wait, bro?" You finally stop your laughter. "You two are brothers? I mean I guess I should've guessed cause you're both skeletons but I mean... I didn't want to assume and like offend you or anything..." Everyone was paying attention to you. _Gulp._ "I-I mean... It doesn't seem like you get easily offended or anything but I, uh, guess it would've been rude? I'll... shut up now." Back to staring at the floor. _One spot, two spots..._

"BUT OF COURSE WE ARE BROTHERS HUMAN FRIEND!" _There's that word again... friend..._ "CAN'T YOU TELL BY HOW MUCH WE LOOK ALIKE? NYEHEHEH, SILLY HUMANS! THAT IS OKAY THOUGH! I THE GREAT PAPYRUS FORGIVES YOU FOR SUCH A SILLY MISTAKE!"

"Heh... You're too kind Papyrus." You weren't gonna argue, Papyrus is just too innocent. Though they really do look nothing alike, don't even act alike. Polar opposites in fact. You shrug, makes no difference to you anyways. At least they get along. The group starts walking towards the doors out of the building and you follow a few paces back so as not to intrude. _Still don't know why they're bringing me, a complete stranger, to... some party? Is it an important party or just like what you'd see at college dorms or something?_ You look over yourself again. Definitely not college party attire, you looked almost fancy. _Or maybe that's just cause you've gotten used to jeans and a hoodie every day._ You notice a couple vehicles parked just outside, a bright red sports car, a big, decked out truck, a mini van, and... a scooter. You stop a few feet short. Not sure which vehicle you're supposed to go with. _Not the scooter though, I mean... a girl's gotta have some standards_

"There's enough room in the van for all of us, you coming Monica?" Toriel had walked up to you while you were lost in thought. _Guess that answers that._

"Y-yeah, sorry. I guess I was just a little overwhelmed with potential choices." You laugh a little to try to seem nonchalant. "These are everyone's vehicles right?"

"Yes my child. We had decided to meet up at your place to pick you up for the party." She looks over to the vehicles and gently points out who's vehicle is who's. "The sports car is Papyrus's, he dreamed of having one since we were still underground. Was the first thing he did too, he's really quite proud of it. The truck is Undyne's, she figured it's the best representation of her. The van is mine, it makes it easier when I need to take Frisk places or when doing things like this." She pauses and starts giggling. "The scooter is Sans', I believe he did it as a joke originally, as Papyrus was pressuring him to get a license and vehicle at the same time as he was, but I think he actually likes it now."

"I... can totally see that actually." You pause for a second. "I'm sorry about running off yesterday Toriel. I really do appreciate what you did for me. It was just... overwhelming." _One rock, two rocks..._

"Don't worry about it child! It was admittedly quite rude of me to leave you alone like that. I promise to be more careful in the future." She places a reassuring paw on your shoulder. She is such a gentle and kind soul, somehow she manages to take your worry away with those simple words so easily. You really admire her suddenly. You carefully go in for a hug, worried it might be coming on too strong, but she embraces it and pulls you in tighter. You mumble a thank you into her fur, you're not sure if she heard it but that doesn't matter.

You pile into the back of the van with Frisk, Toriel is driving with Sans taking the front seat next to her, you hear them making jokes with each other as you help buckle Frisk in. Undyne and Papyrus took Undyne's truck though oddly enough Undyne called shotgun (apparently she prefers that cause it "sounds cooler"). You end up simply looking out the window, staying in your own head most of the way there, you still don't feel like you really belong. After a while you get poked in the ribs. You jump, letting out a tiny "eek!". Thankfully no one heard you. Frisk had poked you with their pen to try to get your attention and was now shoving their notepad at you. **Are you ok?** You nod at them, giving your best reassuring smile. It was a lie, you still felt out of place and at times your mind betrays you. Sometimes thinking that you were in danger since you didn't know these people and you still keep letting them take you wherever. However, you've been trying to fight the thoughts. _I've heard all monsters have been incredibly kind and caring since their appearance. I even played with them online a lot. Turns out monsters are crazy about video games, something to do with the puzzles. Which is confusing since many games you play a human fighting monsters. Though makes sense that they lean towards games that either don't have combat or have fantasy races then._ You get poked in the side again breaking you out of your thoughts again, this time you just flinch a little. **You've been really quiet... and spacey.** You smile and whisper quietly. "I just don't talk much. Also don't feel like I belong just yet... will take some time." Frisk scribbles something new. **They're nice, monsters are super accepting and quick to love, don't worry so much!** You nod at them. _Easier said than done._

You pull up at a quaint little house, you recognize the neighborhood. This is close to where you were when you were driving with Undyne. Cringe. _Must be Undyne's place?_ Everyone files out of the vehicles, you help Frisk out and they hold your hand the whole way up the driveway to the house. _Probably an attempt to keep you from freaking out and bailing... still though... they're too cute._ Undyne slows her pace until she's in line with the two of you. "Couple of lovebirds eh? Fuhuhu!" You and Frisk give her the same _I'm sick of your bullshit_ face. "Remember what I told you Monica! Connect! You'll know which is her cause she's the cute one!" She marches back up ahead, clearly proud of herself... for some reason? _She talking about Alphys when she said that? I guess she'll be here._ They open the door and everyone goes inside, thankfully its not at all what you expected. There were only two others, a small yellow... dinosaur? Lizard? And a rectangular robot. They appeared to be laying out snacks when you entered. "Hey cutie!" Undyne practically charges at the dinosaur-lizard and scoops her up in a single movement. "Monica this is Alphys, Alphys this is Monica!" Alphys is blushing bright red and you're pretty sure you are too.

"Um... hi Alphys. It's nice to meet you..." _I am so uncomfortable right now._

"H-hi t-there... um... M-Monica." _Great idea Undyne, thanks._ There's an awkward pause. "D-do you like... anime?" Frisk snickers.

"I do actually!" You both instantly relax. "I'm always looking for new ones to watch, what are some of your favourites?" Undyne finally sets her down and Alphys leads you to their living room, one of the walls is completely filled with bookshelves lined with anime. "Wow, so much to choose from!" You hear the others start moving around and doing things, you're not overly concerned about that though.

"Y-yeah, once we g-got to the surface me and Undyne collected all the a-anime we could find. We wanted t-to experience it a-all. In f-fact, we still haven't gotten through m-most of it. That's why w-we have anime nights."

"Speaking of which... I'm so incredibly sorry about yesterday... I'm sure you were looking forward to it. I was..." You look at the floor.

"O-oh! D-don't even w-worry about it! Undyne told me e-everything, I feel like I-I should be sorry." She cautiously grabs your hand. "T-there's something I-I want to s-show you about that actually." Your interest is now piqued, and you follow her. She opens a door into the garage and flicks on a light. The room slowly brightens until it reveals... your car! "I f-fixed it u-up for y-you." She was shaking a little, you squeeze her hand still holding yours.

"That's so incredibly kind of you... Thank you. So much." You bend down slightly and give her a hug. _Apparently you're in a hugging mood today._ "You really didn't have to do that, at all. Oh gosh... I'm sure the parts weren't cheap. I don't know what kind of damage it was in but it must've been a good amount. I mean it did quite a bit of damage to me a-and I think it rolled over too..." You were examining it now, it looked... well as new as a 2001 could look.

"I had almost all the p-parts just laying around actually. Who else do you think fixed up Undyne's truck?" 

"That's so cool! I don't even know the first thing about cars and I've been around them my whole life. You reach the surface a year ago and you're like some kind of expert or something!" Alphys is starting to blush. _Did I say too much...? I heard the underground is a soft spot for a lot of monsters..._

"I-I tinkered around a lot back in the underground a-actually... You might've seen t-the robot when you came in, that's Mettaton, I made him b-back then as a h-human e-exterminator/ entertainment robot. King A-Asgore was impressed with h-him and made m-me the royal scientist cause of it. C-cars were fairly s-straight forward comparatively..." _Human exterminator...?_ You start to sweat. _Okay... stay away from scary rectangle. Noted._

"Royal scientist? That's quite the title, you must be a genius!" Alphys is blushing crimson now. _Maybe I should stop..._ "Um... but anyways, what's going on today? Everyone has been saying stuff about some kind of party? I haven't got a clue what about though." Alphys looks genuinely confused.

"P-party? This is the first I've h-heard of that too..." She scratches her head. "Was only supposed to b-be anime night version two I-I thought..." _Weird._

"Maybe that was just Undyne hyping it up."

"C-could be..." Neither of you were satisfied with that answer. You _knew_ something was fishy _pun not intended_. You both walk back into the living room, everyone had made the most elaborate fort you'd ever seen. The two story fort from yesterday was nothing compared to this. It was practically another house made of blankets and pillows. You stare in awe, Alphys does as well to your surprise. _Thought this was normal for them?_ You snap yourselves out of it and find a good spot to sit. You end up sitting next to Sans and Papyrus on the second story near the back. Sans was wrapped up like a burrito, sleeping. _Somehow that's actually cute._ Papyrus is laying on his... lack of a belly, propped up by his elbows.

"AH, MONICA HUMAN! GOOD CHOICE SITTING NEXT TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" You panic and try to shush him, pointing at the sleeping Sans. "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT LAZY SACK OF BONES! HE SLEEPS THROUGH ANYTHING!" _I don't doubt that actually._ Undyne puts in the anime and everyone settles down, Undyne and Alphys are cuddling on a little platform in between the two stories of the fort in front of everyone, but not blocking the way. _You need to ask someone, probably Undyne, how they did this._ You heard Alphys squeal and say something about "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie" and how this is her favourite episode, something about a love confession. You stopped listening though, you didn't want to be accidentally spoiled.

You've been watching for about fifteen minutes, it must be getting close to a good part because Alphys has started chewing her claws and keeps inching closer to the screen. Undyne is repeating the lines quietly to herself. "stop watching." Sans whispering that in your ear makes you jump. You thought he was still being a burrito.

"What? Why?" You whisper back, looking at him questioningly.

"just watch undyne." Was all he said before laying back down. Curiously you do what he says, listening to Undyne repeat the lines in the anime.

"I'll always love you." She took Alphys' hand. "No matter what, I swear I'll be by your side until the end of time." You saw her fiddling with something with her free hand. _What is that...?_ "Nothing you could ever do will scare me away." She takes the hand that was holding Alphys' hand and brings it up to her cheek, gently caressing her. This grabs Alphys' attention as she looks at Undyne lovingly. "I will protect you, love you, and be by your side forever. This is my promise to you..." The person in the anime says another name but Undyne just says "Alphys." The episode ends. "Will you marry me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy... Welp so much for updating regularly eh? I did think about updating a lot, I just got so busy and never got around to it, I sincerely apologize for that... Good chances that most people aren't even interested in this or the fandom anymore but who knows? I want to keep updating this until its finished no matter how long it takes or how little recognition or anything like that! If people come back or new people find it then all the better. I'm staying determined! Oh and uh thanks for reading ^.^" Hope the long chapter of (mostly) fluff made you happy! Also, I'm sorry I couldn't not name this chapter a play on Panic! at the Disco lol its just so perfect.


	7. Panic! at the "Party" pt:2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that you know what this secret party was for, its time to celebrate! You get introduced to Mettaton and learn some things about him and the skelebros, particularly Sans.

You squeal with excitement before Alphys even has a chance to process what happened. "Oh my gosh! Undyne! You dog! This is what this was all about?" You immediately shrink in on yourself. _Perhaps I got a little too overzealous..._ You turn to Sans and Papyrus next to you. Papyrus is doing that thing again where he's... sparkling... somehow... while Sans is now sitting up in his burrito. _Still cute!_ You turn to whisper to them. "So me and Alphys were the only ones not aware of this?" Papyrus doesn't seem to hear you but Sans scoots a little closer.

"yeah, we tried calling ya earlier in the day like we said when we came to pick you up but it kept going straight to voicemail." He whispers in your general direction, still mostly focused on the couple. They're hugging now, Alphys had already said yes. "also, dunno if ya noticed but undyne's a fish not a dog." You glare at Sans. "i suppose i can see where ya could possibly get confused though, since the royal guard she commanded were all dogs. 'cept for me and paps of course." He looks over to you and winks with his eyesocket. _Nope that's still weird. I don't care if he's a burrito anymore._ Suddenly the rectangular robot from earlier _(Mettaton was it?)_ crashes through the second floor of the fort causing it to completely fall apart and tumble down.

"Oooh wonderful darlings! Just wonderful!" You go flying amidst the chaos, thankfully Papyrus quickly catches you before you fall to the ground and sets you down carefully. "Oh my this will be just wonderful for my InstaMTT! You there! Human girl, hold this!" He forcefully shoves a very advanced looking cell phone into your hands and proceeds to grab both Alphys and Undyne on either side of him, making sure to grab Alphys' hand to show off the ring. _Wow it's gorgeous!_ You never got a good chance to look before. "Well? What are you waiting for? Take the picture. My followers are just dying to see the part I played in this tear jerking union!" Still slightly dazed from the sudden ruckus you meekly fumble around with the strange interface until you find the camera.

"O-okay... say... anime!" _I'm sure that'd help make Undyne and Alphys smile cause they sure weren't when he interjected._ Sure enough, it works. The fresh memory of what just happened and how makes them both light up like the sun. _Perfect!_

Mettaton immediately snatches the phone back and looks over it. _Making sure you didn't ruin it with your dirty human hands of course._ Then admires the photo. "Oh darling! Why, it's simply perfect!" You smile sheepishly. "I look perfect!" _Huh?_ "Oh yes! I must post this immediately. All my followers will simply adore me for bringing such a wonderful couple together!" He types something into the phone but all you can do is gawk. _Is he seriously taking their moment for himself? He's a robot! How can a robot be so conceited?_ Mettaton finally looks up from the phone, directly at you, and is next to you in a flash. "How rude of me. We haven't been properly introduced. Though I can tell by your expression you clearly know who I am and want an autograph right? Oh of course! Anything for a fan!" His hand turns into a marker, one that looks particularly permanent to you, and scribbles something on your forehead. "Perfection!" You have no words. "Now then, even though you already know who I am it is still rude of me not to introduce myself." _Oh, now you're worried about being rude?_ "I am Mettaton! Star of MTT Brand TV shows, movies, perfumes, cosmetics, clothing, and even food! Anything with the MTT Brand you know can be trusted because it features... me! Now then, adoring fan, whom is so obviously star stricken to have not said anything thus far, what is your name?" _Oh I've been saying stuff bucko, just not to your face._

"M-Monica..." _You can think big talk but when it comes to actually speaking you're a coward._

"Monica the human girl huh...?" Mettaton inches closer to you slowly, hand on... screen. Suddenly you remember what Alphys told you. _"that's Mettaton, I made him b-back then as a h-human e-exterminator/ entertainment robot."_ Gulp.

You immediately want to get as far away from the robot as possible. In your sudden fear you look around to try to find someone who will save you from this menacing rectangle. Papyrus is trying desperately to untangle Sans from his burrito to try to get him to stand on his own. Undyne and Alphys are still a little ways behind Mettaton, they've been watching and giggling this whole time. The others seem to have gone to another room by now. "I-I should uh... go now... and help Papyrus untangle Sans." You attempt meekly. Mettaton looks towards them briefly then back to you. You silently plead to Alphys and Undyne with your eyes. Undyne elbows Alphys but she just shrugs and whispers something to Undyne under her breath, this is followed by another elbow.

"H-hey, M-Mettaton, its not fair for just o-one person to have your a-attention all night. M-maybe Frisk wants t-to play with you t-t-today. Alphys finally rescues you before Mettaton has a chance to say or do anything else. This is followed by a long, robotic sigh.

"Well I suppose Frisk darling will always have a special place in my metaphorical heart. Sorry sweetie, but it appears I must part from your gaze. Toodaloo!" With that Mettaton rolls away into the next room. You sigh and smile thankfully at Alphys, then proceed to go help Papyrus.

"What are you doing Papyrus? Surely Sans isn't that heavy that he's stumped The Great Papyrus?" You kneel down, Sans is buried under pretty much the entire fort that had collapsed.

"HE WAS TOO LAZY TO MOVE WHEN METTATON BROKE THROUGH THE FORT. THE LAZY BONES!" You laugh. The unexpected pun from Papyrus and the sheer laziness of Sans is too much for you to contain. "HUMAN! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! LOOK HE'S JUST LAYING THERE! I BET HE'S SO LAZY HE THINKS IF HE STAYS LIKE THIS I'LL BE FORCED TO CARRY HIM BECAUSE I AM SUCH A GOOD BROTHER! NYEH!" He throws his hands in the air in defeat. "HOWEVER! LITTLE DOES SANS KNOW HE'S BEEN THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS! BECAUSE I AM SUCH A GREAT BROTHER I WILL IN FACT NOT BE CARRYING HIM AROUND! HE MUST LEARN TO DO SO HIMSELF! NYEHEHEHE!" Papyrus gets up and runs off, leaving you sitting there confused as to what just happened.

You carefully nudge the lump that is Sans. _Who am I kidding he didn't feel that._ You spend a good couple minutes poking and prodding, trying to find a way to free him. Music has started playing in the other room, you figure everyone is celebrating the engagement with an actual party now. _I'm starting to think he might not simply be being lazy at this point._ He's really trapped in there. Finally you manage to grab a corner of a blanket that appears to be wrapped around something. You give it a firm tug, causing something to roll over a bit. Clearing the surrounding blankets and pillows except for the one you're holding onto you're able to mostly clear out the way for Sans. "Okay Sans, brace yourself." You push on the lump with one end and tug with the other, it gives way a little but no where near enough to free him. "Gee, that's not what I meant! Hrmph! Dang Sans you must weigh a ton." You give up, letting yourself fall to the floor in exhaustion. _I should really exercise or something one of these days..._

"you could say... a _skele-ton_?" Startled, you jump backwards and fall onto your back. Above you is a grinning Sans, way too pleased with himself. "i really had ya worried huh? its _written all over your face_ " He pokes your forehead with a mitted hand. You feel yourself blush, you forgot all about what Mettaton did already. You rub at your forehead hoping to get rid of it, of course it doesn't work like that. "heh, here pal." Sans holds out a hand to you. Graciously, you take it to pull yourself up. A loud farting noise suddenly emits from his hand. You both sit there in silence for a moment, but only a moment as Sans falls to the ground laughing. "hehehe, the ol' whoppie cushion in the hand trick. it never gets old!" You are taken so aback that you begin to giggle too, Sans' laughter is contagious and you find yourself falling back over laughing.

Once you're able to regain your composure enough to function you swat at Sans playfully. "That was so mean!" The red face, tears streaming down your cheeks, and aching belly however, indicates that it was also stupidly funny. Sans stands up and offers to lift you to your feet again. "Nu-uh! I'm not falling for that again!" You wink at him. This catches him off guard for a second, then he's back on the ground, a mess. "Only the puns you almost don't even notice are funny." You stick out your tongue at him and get yourself up. "Like really? Skele-ton? You can do better Sans!" You lightly tap him with your foot, pretending to kick him. "Shame!" 

Sans feigns pain and rolls over. "ya got me. i'm dead now. a corpse. a skeleton."

"You're already a skeleton." Silence. "Sans?" You nudge him with your foot again. He mumbles something you can't quite make out. "U-um.... sorry?"

"t'was my attempt at your kind of pun." Silence.

"Pfft! You need work buddy!"

He turns around to face you. "i already work. several jobs."

"And I bet you slack off at all of em!"

"you spyin' on me?" You both laugh. Sans gets up on his own, you're both standing now. "uh here, lemme show you where the bathroom is. maybe you can wash _that_ off." He pokes your forehead. _Yeah, not the worst idea._ You follow him to the bathroom where he tosses you a face towel. You soak it under hot water and attempt to rub the marker off. Turns out Mettaton didn't write anything, he just drew a picture of himself on your forehead.

"What's up with that guy anyways?" You say mostly to yourself.

"dunno. never liked him myself either, but paps adores the guy so i gotta tolerate him more than i'd like." Sans has a almost harsh tone to his voice, its unnerving coming from him, and one you've only heard one other time, when you first encountered him.

"Yeah he's pretty arrogant for a robot, not sure what Papyrus sees in someone like that." You think for a moment. "Well that's a lie." You have Sans' attention. "I suppose he could've learned his self confidence from him. They both share that quality-" Sans visibly bristles at the thought. "-but Papyrus I guess handles it better? He's more of the cute, childlike, self confidence. While Mettaton is more of the 'I'm all that matters' type." Sans relaxes again. "You sure adore Pap don't ya?"

"that obvious eh?" He simply shrugs. "i've cared for him since he was a baby bones. he probably can't even remember a time before i was in the picture." You stop scrubbing, this suddenly feels kinda serious.

"How long?"

"eh, paps is twenty years old so... about... nineteen?" You're shocked, for some reason you pegged Papyrus for the older brother due to his size and responsible nature. _Though I guess Sans is more mature if you get past the bad jokes, and is responsible in his own way._

"Wow so you were pretty young yourself too then right?"

"hmm 'bout six." _He says it so nonchalantly, though if its all you've known then its normal... you'd know that better than anyone._

"Mind if I ask..." You almost don't want to say it, in case its a sore subject.

"heh, i do actually. here." Sans takes the cloth from your hand and sets it down. "maybe we can ask tori to help with that, she is a mother after all." You decide to stop prying, some things are best left alone until they're ready to be revealed, if they ever are. _Besides, its still too soon. I don't even really know these people yet... but I'm starting to."_

You both find Toriel at the table in the kitchen colouring with Frisk. Upon seeing you two she smiles kindly, however as you approach she starts to giggle. "Ah I see Mettaton has made quite the _mark_ on you Monica dear." Puns aren't nearly as bad coming from her, must be because she's so kind and genuine. It was fairly alright you suppose. "Here let me help you." She has a bottle of rubbing alcohol next to her and she gingerly applies some to a cotton ball. "Frisk has a bad habit of doing that to themselves, I've found good ways to get rid of it easily during the time we've known each other." Frisk sticks out their tongue. Toriel rubs the cotton ball along your forehead for a few seconds. "All better! Now go enjoy yourselves you two!" She points to the living room where everyone else has gathered and are dancing to the music that has been playing.

"Er... I'm not really the dancing type..." Frisk won't have it and hops out of their chair, grabbing both you and Sans' hands pulling you towards the crowd. _Hahaha nope._ You begin to struggle, trying to pry Frisk's hand off of yours but to no avail. _They have a grip of iron._ You look hopelessly at Sans who seems just as enthused as you about this idea. They end up leaving you both standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor and back away giving the universal _I'm watching you_ sign. You take a deep breath, then sigh. "Well since we're both stuck doing this we might as well dance together eh?" Sans shrugs nonchalantly. You decide the best way to diffuse this is by intentionally dancing silly. You reach for Sans' hand and raise it above his head, cuing him to spin, he simply walks in a circle. _Perfect. The worse the better._ Of course, as fate would have it, at this very moment the song changes to a slow one. Time slows as you feel your face turn into a cherry. "Welp! Good dance! Surely that counted!" You nod enthusiastically as you start to walk to the sideline, but then something grabs your hand.

Sans is looking at you with the same dopey smile as always, its hard to get a read on what he wants, if he really wants to do this or if Frisk is making him behind your back. "ya can't just ask a skeleton to dance and just twirl him. even i got standards y'know." Gulp. You haven't slow danced, or really danced at all since middle school, you haven't got a clue what to do. 

"I-I-I... I dunno what I'm even d-doing..."

"forgeddaboudit. slow dancing is the only dancing i'm good at anyways. y'know since ya barely have to do anything." You quietly go along. _What's this guy up to...?_ He grabs your waist and you rest your hands on his shoulders as you both gently sway back and forth to the music. _This... reminds me of something... but..._ You can't finish the thought, tears start to trickle down your face. Despite wearing that goofy smile, Sans manages to look concerned. He tilts his head slightly to the side and gently soaks up the tear trail with his mitten. When he realizes its not stopping he simply pulls you in tighter, letting you rest your head on his shoulder. One of his hands moves up from your waist to stroke the back of your head as he gently hushes you. There is no doubt in your mind he's the older brother now. The song ends and he gently stops swaying, he doesn't pull back though, letting you decide when you're ready. When you're ready you pull back and carefully pat under your eyes, remembering you have makeup on. "wanna go outside?" You can barely make out the words. Silently, you nod. Sans grabs your hand gently and takes you out onto the porch. The sun has long since set and the stars are visible in the night sky. You both sit down on a step, you don't talk, just sit there and look at the stars. "it was always a dream of mine to see the stars one day. i'm glad i finally can, everyday." You remain silent, not even looking at Sans. Suddenly there's a weight on your shoulders, you look down and notice one of your sweaters. You don't say anything but look at Sans with a mixture of confusion and gratefulness. "ya looked cold, so i uh took a shortcut and just grabbed something. i hope i didn't pick wrong or nothin'." You pull it around your body more, snuggling into its warmth and simply shake your head. "heh... glad." You sit in silence for a moment, staring at the stars once again. "mind if i ask...?"

You smile at the familiar question. "Everyone has secrets, Sans. Me, you, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, Mettaton, Frisk, even Papyrus. Some things are best left alone until they're ready to be revealed, assuming they'll ever be ready. Besides, its still too soon. I don't even really know you or anyone else yet... but I'm starting to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moar fluff (mostly) and long af chapter wooo! ^.^ I'm really spoiling y'all aren't I? Don't worry it won't last muahahahahaha! ... ha! I'm super tired when writing this so super sorry if there's any mistakes. I have a bad habit of never ever proof reading ^.^" (I've been up for 24 hours halp meeeeee I'm meltingggggg)
> 
> Note: I know it sounds like it at the end there but this is no where near the end of our little story.


	8. Lesson Learned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend some time with Alphys while she works at her lab. You learn some things about monsters, humans, and souls.

After what happened you just wanted to go home, you said your goodbyes to everyone and congratulated the couple then drove home in your newly fixed up car. Sans had insisted repeatedly on giving you a shortcut back but you denied, you needed time alone. You had to visit your psychiatrist the next morning. You told her about the crazy couple of days you had, meeting the monsters, the car crash, the alleyway incident, the proposal, and party. You decided however to leave out the nightmare you had, it was, after all, just a nightmare. Just simply catching her up on everything took nearly your whole session, at the end of it all she looked incredibly happy for you. "It might not seem like it, now or in the moment, but those were all very good things Monica. You've been so lonely for so long and these people seem to really like you and enjoy your company. They could help you, in ways I can't, they can actually be there in the moment when things get rough, and support and encourage you in doing things that scare you. We've talked so much about how you need a support structure and it seems like they're trying to offer this to you. It also sounds like Sans was good at calming you down when things got to be too much which is good. In fact, they all are good for you, Undyne is good at encouraging you, Alphys seems like she has just as hard of a time as you, Papyrus is very much the kind of light you need in your life right now, and Toriel is one of those people who can make you feel safe just by being there." She pauses to catch herself, she tends to go on tangents but you don't mind, its actually why you like her so much. "Am I wrong?" You shake your head, it was what you were thinking anyways, you're just scared. Your mind has a way of making things seem much worse than they are and always assuming the worst, you can't help it. Your session ends and you head home, upon entering your car you decide to bite the bullet and send Alphys a text. She left her, and everyone else's numbers in your car on a sticky note for you to find when she repaired it.

Its been roughly a week since the party, you've been texting everyone a lot but that's been about the extent of your interaction with them. You're currently gaming with Bella wrapped in a blanket on your lap. A few people in your guild have started asking you to run with them more often. They needed a healer and you're the best the guild's got. They've been really friendly to you too, always welcoming you when you log in and asking if you want to do anything, even mundane things, when any of you get bored. It's not an uncommon thing to happen in the video game world but it's nice all the same. Suddenly your phone buzzes, pulling you away, its a message from Alphys, the two of you have become fast friends thanks to your... social similarities, she's asking if you wanted to come to the lab where she works today. Since monsters emerged from underground Alphys has been organizing research on human volunteers to examine souls, specifically human souls, more closely. She wants to perform some tests on your own soul, make sure its healthy, that kind of thing, as well as give you the run down on souls in general since you actually know monsters now. _I'm actually quite eager to know these things, its fascinating!_ You agree, let your game friends know you have to go, and head over to Alphys and Undyne's house.

You both take your car since Undyne is out already and Alphys is too scared of driving to bother getting a licence or car of her own. You reach the lab, its a huge, white, imposing, structure, reminiscent of what you'd see in movies with the simple word **LAB** written in big bold letters in front. Alphys fumbles with her keycard and walks you in, leading you down several corridors to a large room with a giant machine inside. She sits down at the desk and motions for you to sit next to her. "O-okay, so... this is where I do the m-majority of my testing and analysis on s-souls." She motions vaguely to the entire room.

"Do other people work in this building? I thought you were the royal scientist underground." You ask. _Figured it'd be that the whole lab is hers not just one room._

"Royal scientist yes, b-but that doesn't mean I-I'm the only scientist. Other people work here too, I had two-" She catches herself and has an unrecognizable expression on her face for a split second. "I-I mean one. J-just one o-other... with me back u-underground who still h-helps out from t-time to time, plus now we have h-humans who help and are i-interested too." _She's really shaken up over that mix up in her wording..._

You put a hand on her shoulder and smile. "Take your time."

"R-right..." She pauses for a moment. "A-anyways... I just w-wanted to brush you up on what we know about souls, mostly human souls since that's what you are. Monster souls aren't nearly as interesting or exciting as yours." _Her stuttering seems to have stopped. She must really be invested in this._ "There are seven different types of human souls, each with their own unique and distinct colours and traits. Red souls are bound by the trait of determination. Frisk, as well as Asgore and Toriel's first human child, Chara, possessed this type of soul. Orange souls are bound by the trait of bravery. Yellow souls are bound by the trait of justice. Green souls are bound by the trait of kindness. Cyan souls are bound by the trait of patience. Blue souls are bound by the trait of integrity. Finally purple souls are bound by the trait of perseverance." She pauses to catch her breath, suddenly growing shy again after explaining all of that.

"So basically there's a soul for every colour of the rainbow." You begin to picture what its like and how one is even able to see the colour of souls. "Its strange actually... before monsters showed up we all thought souls were not only totally invisible, and see-through if one were to appear, but many people had debunked them as myths. Not real things."

"W-well some are actually, i-invisible I mean, monster souls in particular. Every monster has a clear soul with the exception of boss monsters who have white souls. L-like I said m-monster souls aren't nearly as interesting or e-exciting as a human's."

"Your magic capabilities more than make up for that though." Its a well known fact that monsters are extremely gifted in magic, any monster can do it. While humans are mostly physical beings, monsters are mostly magical beings.

"T-that's actually what we're c-currently researching. The p-potential of human magic use. Well n-no that's not right... The t-type of magic each human soul is c-capable of is more like it. Every human h-has the potential to u-use magic if exposed to enough of it. I-its actually something we're trying to l-limit humans knowing a-about actually... it could spell d-disaster depending on the human w-who tries and the t-type of soul they have." Alphys shudders a little at the thought. You remember hearing about the war between monsters and humans and how seven human mages sealed all of the monsters away. _Apparently, a single human's soul is equal to every monster soul. So I could see why Alphys and the other monsters would be scared of that kind of power falling to a human._

"So the type of magic a human can do is dependent on our soul?" You mindlessly reach for your heart.

"Y-yes." Alphys shuffles through some notes that have been messily scattered on her desk. "Ah, here! Based on the studies we've done so far on humans using magic this is what we've been able to deduce based on the soul. Red souls can use something that Frisk calls Saving and Resetting, it's like time travel except they can only go back in time, and to the last point in time they've Saved at or they can Reset and go all the way back to when they first got their ability to Save and Reset. F-Frisk was very generous in providing this information for u-us, apparently it was the o-only way they were able to m-make it t-through the underground and free a-all the monsters. M-many of us even k-k-killed them s-several times, forcing them to load or even r-reset..." Alphys starts stuttering again at the mention of Frisk and their hardships. _I don't blame her... That's a heavy burden to know. Poor Frisk... it must've been really scary and hard down there. I don't know how they managed it._ Alphys takes a minute to stop herself from shaking then shuffles through her notes again. "The r-red soul is the one we know most about since F-Frisk has been able to use their magic since they f-fell into the u-underground, we think the b-barrier might've triggered it, w-with all that magic. H-however, we've managed to do enough t-tests that we have a rough idea of w-what the other souls can d-do too. O-orange can slow time around them while they themselves move normally. Yellow souls can turn their very soul into a weapon, while also reducing the damage they take in fight situations. Green souls have an actual shield that no attack can penetrate as long as its up, they also have incredible healing powers. Cyan can manipulate space, allowing them to teleport themselves and anyone they want anywhere they want. Blue can manipulate gravity itself on whomever they wish, making them feel incredibly heavy or incredibly light. Lastly, purple is able to see a short distance into the future." Alphys stops and catches her breath, while you attempt to process all the info she just thrust upon you.

"Monsters can do any kind of magic though right?" Alphys nods, reorganizing the stack of papers.

"All monsters c-can do any type o-of magic. Though s-some are better at certain types than others w-while some are just overall b-better than others. It often takes practice for a monster to be good at magic, though in some cases a monster doesn't have to train at all, they can just do it, and do it well." She pauses to think. "I-It's like how some humans are good a-at art. Some are more naturally g-gifted than others, while some b-become good through lots of practice. H-however those same humans might not be as good at, say, s-sports. The same thing a-applies to the humans who are good at sports though, s-some are more gifted, while others train much h-harder to get to be as good. Sometimes, h-however, there will be a jack-of-all-trades type human who's good at j-just about anything that's thrown a-at them... Everyone c-can technically do these things, s-some are just better o-or worse or simply not interested." She pauses, thinking over the metaphor. "I-I just made that m-more confusing didn't I?"

You shake your head. "No, that actually makes a lot of sense Alphys. Though I think my mind is a bit overloaded now." You laugh.

Alphys flicks on the monitor and types some things into the computer at her desk, eventually you hear a loud hum as the giant machine in the middle of the room lights up and begins to stir. "T-that's okay. That's all I really w-wanted to say anyways." She points to the machine. "When you're ready, step on in and we'll begin the analysis." You nod with what you hope appears to be confidence but really the machine intimidates you. You cautiously walk up to it, as if it'll leap out and bite you at any second. _Thankfully Alphys is being patient with me._ You find the large metal sliding door and it opens on its own as you approach, its dark and empty inside. You take a deep breath and walk in, the door closes behind you and the humming gets louder causing the small enclosure to rumble under your feet. "J-just stand completely still, i-its safe I promise! I-its kind of like... an x-ray for your soul." Alphys voice rings through a speaker you can't see through the darkness. You stand as still as possible for a few minutes.

"So how do things look Alphys?" _I hope she can hear me, otherwise I'm just sounding stupid talking to myself._ "You know the colour of my soul yet?" You have to admit you're feeling a bit impatient at this point.

"O-oh! Sorry! I-I was reading m-ma- erm... I mean... m-my notes... while the machine r-reads your soul." She pauses and you can hear clicking on a keyboard over the speaker. "Should b-be popping up here a-any moment now... Aha! There it... is..." She trails off then whispers almost too quietly for the microphone to catch. "That's not good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good ol' long, meaty chapter with lotsa lore bits! Apparently I'm still spoiling y'all.  
> Which soul colour do you think Monica has? I already know of course, but I'm curious what you guys think based on what you know about her.  
> Lot's of the info given in this chapter can be used to figure out some of the secrets of the different characters if you're super smart and have been paying attention to the little details in this story, can you figure them out yet?


End file.
